Dedication of Memorial to Halifax Bomber MZ538 crew at Alne Cricket Club ...

A memorial service was held at Alne Cricket Club at noon on Sunday, 27th April, 2025. The service memorialising the final bombing mission from RAF Tholthorpe coincided with the 80th anniversary of VE Day. The Service was led by the Reverend Lucy Brencher—the vicar of Alne—assisted by the Reverend John Hetherington.

On that fateful morning at 2:22am in 1944, a crew of 425 squadron took off from Tholthorpe airfield in a stream of 21 aircrafts. They were on a bombing mission, targeting Duisburg. The Halifax aircraft, loaded with bombs, is believed to have climbed between three- and five-hundred feet in the minute after leaving Tholthorpe. Quickly after, they lost height and clipped some trees. It’s believed that the aircraft may have been on fire as it descended and crashed into a field immediately south east of the village, close to the present Alne Cricket Field. Likely, the impact with the trees caused structural damage that triggered an onboard explosion before contact was made with the ground.

One of very few living witnesses to the event, David Craven, explains that there were no significant craters in the field. This suggests an explosion occurred in the air, killing all those aboard instantly. David witnessed the damage done to the village and Home Farm house where his friend, David Whiteley, had been awoken by explosions, finding that his bedroom wall had been blown apart. The east window of the Church was also destroyed.

An RAF investigation was held to determine why the aircraft lost height so soon after taking off. To this day, the real reason is a mystery. The flying conditions and visibility were good, the surface wind was light, and there was little cloud. Furthermore, the pilot was an experienced captain, so inexperience was not a factor.



















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